62 comments:

Rudd Davis was named president of USAT's newly launched Travel Media Group barely two months ago. That followed his elevation to vice president of business development, a controversial new position, in September 2010.

Prior to that, he had been the chief of BNQT, the action sports site that USAT bought in January 2008.

So the buyouts aren't happening? Hard to believe Jim would be wrong on one of his "scoops." Of course, he probably never cited a source, so he can pretend the alleged source wronged him and get away with it.

Entertainment reporter given new beat as event planner for civic engagement. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=T0ImTgaOwOgGannet will launch and market new site welovesalem.com to target < 40 demo with social media. New direction? Any other markets targeted?

What's with the love affair between the Arizona Republic and Gov. Jan Brewer. When Brewer confronts the president and wags her finger at him, it's a hot story on the website and comments run strongly against her. But the next day's story buries the confrontation in the last two paragraphs. Similarly, the Republic buried a reference to Brewer freezing for 14 seconds while giving her opening statement in a debate two years ago. Here are the latest stories:http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/2012/01/25/20120125brewer-obama-exchange-tense-words-immigration.htmlhttp://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/2012/01/25/20120125obama-manufacturing-key-part-economic-plan.html

Buy outs hell.That would the humane and caring way to let people get out.That is NOT the Gannett way.Those layoff lists are being compliled and fine tuned everydaynow that the 2011 financial reports are close to being released.

@10:13 - it's called "new wave" journalism!! It's one of my biggest pet peeves, because there are this many "typos" in the paper daily, too!! But, I also understand the "why", so learned to accept it years ago, even if it still grates!

11:38 Here's what I've said before, and I believe it remains true: Buyouts are planned at at least one newspaper site, according to one of my readers who has been 100% accurate about these sort of things over the past three years.

Some readers here have speculated about details of buyouts: that they might target employees in their mid-50s and up, and that two weeks' pay could be offered for every year of service up to a maximum of 52.

Michael Davidson lost Marriott and Choice for USAT, and Rudd Davis blew Hyatt and Hilton accounts. So what's left? Is this that "wild ride" you promised us, Hunke? Hey Micek and Banikarim, how are those 30th anniversary USAT parties coming along?

The criticism of the the corporate staff at Gannett is unwarranted. They, with a couple of notable exceptions, are good hardworking people that are being asked to do things that they know little or nothing about. Even if they know a little bit they are not given the time to do things correctly thus you have all of these half baked poorly planned projects they they constantly throw at us. It's not that they are bad people they just don't know what they are doing.

Exactly 12:58. There are way too many people in positions that are over their heads. They don't know what they're doing. The Journal News is a perfect example and why we are dying a death of 1,000 cuts. Slow torture. Buyout Please!

For what it's worth: Media General is one of the big losers on Wall Street today after reporting 4Q results.

Print revenue down 7%, broadcast down 15%, overall revenue down 12% for the quarter.

Stock price is down about 9% at mid-day.

No way of knowing what this portends for Gannett, but I wouldn't look for revenue gains when they report on Monday. But all a public company really cares about in the short term is whether they hit their per-share estimates. If they're on target, then the stock price will be OK for now.

I am a designer at a west cost newspaper and I am thinking about joining a design center after my paper goes to the hub. The problem I am having is there has been no information about how CCI is working so far and what the workflow in CCI is like for designers. It seems as if everyone who is at a design center has been told to not say anything about them. In order for me to make a decision I would like as much information as possible. Can someone who works at a center please let us know how things are working out? Thanks

11:21,You and I both know that, but unfortunately we have a beancounter for a CEO who is uncomfortable with anything outside a spreadsheet. Banikarim will last just long enough to get her next job because her boss doesn't know any better. Then again, maybe we should ask the consultants.

From what I know, Blue Chip labels,which are the hotel labels that go on USA TODAY newspapers, are going away in April. Hotels were paying good money to put those labels on. Just more revenue that Gannett is losing in trying to cuts costs.

They "are good hardworking people that are being asked to do things that they know little or nothing about. Even if they know a little bit they are not given the time to do things correctly thus you have all of these half baked poorly planned projects they they constantly throw at us. It's not that they are bad people they just don't know what they are doing ..."

When are going to figure out that it's our relationships with clients that will keep us afloat?

And isn't it funny how we've spent all this time, money, and effort on verticals only to land with Sports and Travel. Weren't these always USAT's strengths. These people do things as if it's never been done before and pretend it's there idea.

This includes Hunke, Banikarim, and all the other frauds. Good people have suffered because of their ineptitude. Good people who cared about the USAT brand.

I dont know what makes me more angry, the corporate apologists or the fact that people are hired or promoted to jobs they have no business having. Why they flail, the company continues to slide to oblivion.

Banikarim, Micek, Lee Jones, Hunke, Ellwood and crew are too busy planning their trips to France again for the wasteful and foolish Cannes Lions. Wild ride, indeed. Guess we won't be entertaining clients over there since there are none left.

It looks like these upper-echelon types feed on themselves cannibalistically, since most are frauds.

To be clear, some don't intend to be frauds but their pay, never rejected, has proven them to be just that. Others, sure, flat-out greedy mo-fo's.

There was a time when the media was relatively (repeat, relatively) free of such types. They would have been laughed out the door but this was when there were media types, somewhere at least, in positions of power and sincerity.

Not anymore. Those days are dead and buried. Now we have frauds, deluded with their self-contained brilliance, not a single idea proving to be the Eureka moment they trot out each and every time.

Do I have a better approach? Who knows? All I know is that Gannett stopped asking its own organization for any ideas, input frankly discouraged. "Do it," like a Nike slogan.

Gannett pours money into consultants, rather than respect its best resource for free: the people who do the job who are by definition never to be trusted, these dregs, this filth, knowing nothing about Pernod-Ricard Perrier-Joet.

Who will teach Hunke about teh interwebz now that Rudd is gone? With whom will Dave high-five in the hallway and exchange strained attempts at surfer-dude pleasantries? Who will Dave have a "social" drink (or seven) with, after those weighty management meetings at which he professes his faith in the tablet as USAT's savior?

Oh, Dave, you'd better go pick up a sack of turnips to use as a stand-in. A few hours with the BNQT photo galleries couldn't hurt, either.

6:05, you might want to work on reading for comprehension. Junk is succeeding Dean Singleton as chairman of AP's board; Curley is president and CEO of the news cooperative. His successor hasn't been named.

I feel badly for anyone who is impacted by inept leadership. These are not leaders interested in honest, open dialog with it's employees. They aren't interested in investing in editorial to boost content quality. Too much inbreeding from the fat cat old days, when you could get away with hobnobbing at the bar.

So what you get are gladhands like Dave Hunke. A decent guy but, at the end of the day, not someone who has worked at actually having to manage and lead. Obviously, picking talent, especially on the business side, didn't have to be a strong suit.

If USA Today truly is to be the brand of of Gannett, in Maryam's world, and a cheap way of feeding content to downsized Gannett papers, we need better leadership. Weve had enough duplicity and empty promises. Too many hires of hands off managers accountable to no one.

I do hope the next round of hires will be required to work at the Crystal Palace. It appears many of the current "proven leaders" require adult supervision.

OK. Is the buyout rumor still viable or what? I see that some have denied it, but those sound like Gannett mgt types and they lie for a living. How solid is this thing Jim? By the way, many GCI repoters finally got smart phones a few months ago after corporate started offering a stipend. Gannett withdrew the monthly stipend this week, sticking reporters with 2-year contracts and doubled cell bills they wouldn't have had without corporate's stipend offer. It's as though they are inventing ways to screw with our heads and drain our ever-shrinking wallets. Are they just stupid or purposely sadistic? There is no other possibility.

Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."